20
March 2023
Past Event
Forty Years after President Reagan Unveiled the Strategic Defense Initiative

Forty Years after President Reagan Unveiled the Strategic Defense Initiative

Past Event
Online Only
March 20, 2023
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Caption
President Ronald Reagan giving a speech on SDI (Wikimedia Commons)
20
March 2023
Past Event
Speakers:
heinrichs
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative

inboden
Will Inboden

Executive Director and William Powers, Jr. Chair, Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas

Forty years ago, on March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan addressed the American people to unveil 鈥渁 vision of the future which offers hope,鈥� namely, a program to counter the Soviet missile threat through defensive measures. Thus, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the missile defense system that ultimately helped the United States prevail over the Soviet Union, was born. SDI was born from Reagan鈥檚 disdain for mutual assured destruction, and to instead encourage advances in defenses.

Hudson Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs is joined by Will Inboden to discuss his new book, . They will also reflect on President Reagan鈥檚 visionary leadership for SDI as well as lessons for today鈥檚 major powers rivalry with the Chinese Communist Party.

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